Camilo Mejía, director of policy and advocacy at the nonprofit Catalyst Miami, knows many Florida homeowners see Amendment 3 as a lifeline, a property tax break in a state that is becoming more unaffordable every day.
“There’s a lot of people who are on fixed incomes who purchased their homes 20 or 30 years ago,” he said.
But for renters, moms who rely on parks’ after-school programs, residents who need public transportation to get to work, or families that count on food assistance, Amendment 3 could be an anvil that finally sinks them, he said.
“It actually has a compounding effect,” said Meijia, whose organization helps low-wealth residents in Miami-Dade County build financial stability.
“When you look at that in conjunction with what’s going on at the federal level and when you look at other laws that have been passed by the state, the domino effect that it (Amendment 3) will have will be terrible.”
It’s not just a war on the poor, opponents of the measure say. It’s a war on any resident who relies on any assistance or government service in what Republicans like to say is the free state of Florida.
Could Florida renters pay more if Amendment 3 passes?
But municipal mayors, such as Andy Thomson of Boca Raton, said cities have to consider raising taxes on non-homesteaded properties: businesses, commercial buildings, apartment complexes, second homes, rental property. This is where renters could end up being collateral damage.
“Rent is just starting to come down a little bit,” said Jeff Kottkamp, president and CEO of Florida Tax Watch. “But anytime the non-homestead tax goes up, rent’s going to go up because the owners, they’re not operating huge margins anyway.”
Esteban Leonardo Santis, director of research at the Florida Policy Institute, agreed: “You could see renters paying more, which would already make things very difficult, considering that we have an affordability crisis in the state.”
Nonprofits say Amendment 3 could weaken Florida’s social safety net
Opponents notched a victory Tuesday, when a Tallahassee judge ruled that wording the Legislature used for the November ballot initiative misled voters and must be rewritten.
“Families are struggling,” Arenberg Seltzer said. “We’re seeing people reaching out and really being desperate for the services that we provide, such as food distributions.”
Still, nonprofits, whether they be Florida Tax Watch or Catalyst Miami, say the seismic effect of Amendment 3, if passed, remains.
Mejía said Miami-Dade would see a $400 million hit that would force cuts across fire-rescue, libraries and the Jackson Health system. He said the county is already anticipating Amendment 3 passing, proposing eliminating 12 bus routes and removing early and late-night service.
“What that means is people who rely on public transit to get to and from work are not going to be able to,” he said.
Public libraries and parks also stand to take a big hit, Mejía went on.
“Public libraries are home for kids whose parents work late. They are able to get tutoring, to participate in after-school programs,” he said.